Category Archives: Air

Project Selfie examined load factors used in reporting by major airlines. It turns out that there is a wide range of ways the load factor is calculated by airlines. Weight alone yields low load factors (the percent of utilization of the aircraft with respect to cargo weight). Most of the airlines use a combination of weight and size, and this is done differently for different carriers. Thus they report load factors on different bases, so they are not comparable. IATA, the industry group, wants to have a more consistent basis than weight for reporting its figures for the industry. Weight alone is not very significant.

“(Weight alone) poorly reflects how full the planes really are.”

In short they cube out before they weigh out. Packages that go by air are not very dense! This may partially explain why air freight rates are going up while load factors are not very high. So IATA has been misrepresenting capacity utilization of planes.

It’s hard to be sympathetic to airline pilots. They are at the top of the pay scale for unionized jobs. But they have a right to bargain, and a right to conclude a contract. There’s been no movement on completing a negotiation started 4 years ago. That’s too long.

And it’s a hard job, with lots of work rules, very high technical knowledge and physical requirements, odd hours, and an earlier than usual retirement age. Sort of like baseball players.

So when should they be allowed to strike?

The Independent Pilots Association (IPA), a trade union representing pilots at UPS, said its leadership has called on its 2,528 members to authorize a pilot strike against UPS.

Should port authorities behave like this? Are we in the USA a developing country? Are favors being sold elsewhere as our ports undertake mammoth capital investment schemes? And who is around to raise questions? Anyone looked at the public record?

The airline said three executives of United Continental Airlines were leaving in connection with an investigation into whether flights were a favor from a top agency official.